The saints can't save me now
by Emma-face
Summary: Alice finds herself inexplicably drawn to the new girl in Forks, Bella Swan. The twilight that would have happened if Bella fell for Alice rather than Edward told from Alice's POV! Femme slash
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Ok this is my first ever twilight fic so please be gentle with me. It's twilight only with Bella falling for the charms of Alice rather than Edward and is told from Alice's POV. I hope you enjoy it.

Title is a line from the Florence and the machine song Howl which makes me think of Bella/Alice (though it is more wolfy than vampy lol)

Also in case you haven't figured it out yet this is going to be a Bella/Alice femme slash. If you don't like it - don't read!

Of course I don't own Twilight or any of the characters from the series I just like to use them for my own enjoyment and hopefully for yours too. Please review and let me know if I should continue. =]

* * *

_**I saw her coming. I saw her standing in the crowded hallway at Forks High School looking lost. Expressive, chocolate brown eyes set in soft, ivory skin. Waves of brown hair cascading over her face as she studies a map to tell her where to go. I saw her taking the empty seat next to me in biology. I saw us talking and then...nothing. That was all I could see. And a name; a name as beautiful as she, Bella Swan. **_

_**I saw her coming. But I didn't see how she would change my entire world and make me question everything I thought I knew. **_

_**Bella Swan. She would change my immortal life. **_

If I didn't know better I would swear it was a dream. I do know better though, you can't dream if you never sleep. I could still see her eyes though, those intense brown eyes, staring back at me every time I closed my own. I looked at the clock to my left. It was half past 6 in the morning. It would soon be time to go to school. I would soon come face to face with the girl in my vision. I had some time to kill so I closed my eyes and sketched Bella's face. It seemed I was quite unable to think of anything else this morning.

After a while I ventured downstairs. I could hear music playing in Edward's room as I passed, soft and melodic but definitely new age. Esme was sitting in the kitchen when I came down. We don't eat but the kitchen gets the most light in the mornings, its large windows over look the forest and on clear days you can see right down to the river. It's a nice place to sit.

"Good morning." I chimed, skipping in and shuffling around the kitchen, unable to stay still.

"Good morning Alice." She smiled back at me warmly. I think I feel closer to Esme than any of her other adoptive "children" do. Probably because they have some memory of a mother figure from their human life whereas I remember nothing. Esme is the only mother I've ever known; Carlisle the only father and Edward, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmet are my brothers and sister. I pattered around the kitchen restlessly, waiting for the others. I'm anxious to get to school today. Like a good mother Esme noticed my unusual behaviour.

"Everything alright?" She asked curiously.

"Everything's fine." I replied breathlessly. She looked at me and I knew she doesn't believe me.

"Alice, what's going on?" She asks, looking me in the eye. I can't lie to her now or she'll know.

"I had a vision." I shrugged, leaning on the back of the chair beside her. Closing my eyes I found myself gazing into chocolate pools again and I couldn't help but smile. When I open them again Esme was smirking and waiting for me to continue. So I told her about the girl in my vision. Bella. I love saying her name. She listened and nodded along as I explained the strange feeling I had experienced during my vision; an overwhelming desire, an attraction to the brunette that was deeper than physical that felt like what soul I have left was being pulled towards her.

"Just be careful Ali." She said, her voice laden with concern. She knows what's at stake if the yearning I felt in my vision turns to thirst and I'm unable to control myself. There's always a danger when we associate with humans, one slip and everything Carlisle and Esme have built here would be over. That's why we tend to stick together at school instead of socialising.

"I know." I replied sombrely, looking deep into her eyes so she would know I was being sincere. Soundlessly Jasper appeared in the doorway and greeted us. He smiled at us then eyed me strangely. I knew he was reading my excited anticipation and I hoped I wouldn't have to explain it. At least not yet. Thankfully I was saved from any comment by the rest of my "family" coming down the stairs. After a quick goodbye to Esme we head for school.

I had to be very careful and watch my thoughts the whole time we're in the car. If Edward knew what I was thinking he would undoubtedly ask who Bella was and why I couldn't stop thinking about her. I didn't feel like having that conversation just yet. When we arrived at school people stared as usual. It's not their fault; we're designed to make them stare. After so many years we've gotten used to it. Some of us, namely Rosalie and Emmet, have grown to enjoy it. Closing my eyes I could see that she was here already. Bella was somewhere on the school grounds but the vision didn't last long enough for me to distinguish where. I sighed softly and took Jasper's arm to lead him to class. He didn't mention anything about my excitement to go to school because he was too busy concentrating on not eating our classmates. As the newest member of our clan he still found it a little difficult to be around humans so much without wanting to feed. Monday mornings were always the worst for him because it was fresh. By lunch time on Wednesday he would be a little more desensitised to it. I did keep my eyes open though just in case I would catch a glimpse of the brunette with the ivory skin.

-

It was lunchtime before I saw Bella. I walked into the cafeteria with Jasper, skipping more than usual due to my excited state. Esme believes I must have been a dancer in my human life because of the way I move now. I didn't notice until I had taken my seat with the rest of my family that the chocolate brown eyes I'd been distracted by all day were staring in my direction. The others either didn't notice her looking or just didn't care because they ignored her. I couldn't. I looked up and caught her eye causing her to blush pink and turn away. I giggled slightly earning myself some strange looks from the others. I couldn't resist finding out what she thought of me so I nudged Edward.

"What's she thinking about?" I asked, trying to sound amused rather than curious. He gave me a strange look then focused on her. He stared for a minute then frowned. She looked up and saw his dark eyes boring into her and blushed again, though she looked slightly more confused and angrier this time. Probably because of the way my so called brother was glowering at her. Edward stiffened to my left.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wondering what she could possibly be thinking to make him react that way.

"I can't read her." He said sounding defeated and confused.

"What?" I was shocked too. Just like my gift of premonition Edward had been gifted with telepathy. It worked on humans and vampire's alike so there should be no reason why he couldn't hear her thoughts.

"I can hear everyone else at the table just fine but when I try to read her...nothing." He sounded pissed.

"That's...curious." I glanced over at her table again but she wasn't looking this time.

"Very." He said in a near growl. "I could tell from the others that she was asking who you were, if that answers your question." He added almost pointedly. Perhaps I hadn't been as vigilant with my thoughts as I should have been. I spent the rest of lunch distractedly staring at her table, studying her. Taking in the way she moved, listening to the inflection in her voice when she spoke and trying to ignore the jealous rage that took hold of my body when Mike Newton shamelessly flirted with her for a solid half hour. She didn't seem interested though which pleased me.

-

I was sitting in my usual desk in Biology when she walked through the door. The air from the fan behind the teacher's desk hit her as he signed her registration sheet and all of a sudden her scent hit me like a tidal wave. It was floral but not sickly sweet, more earthy and it made my insides twist with an intense craving that I'd never felt before. My eyes must have been black with thirst; I could feel every cell in my undead body yearning for her. I gripped the edge of the desk and tried to regain my focus. Ordinarily I didn't have a problem with the scent of humans, I barely even noticed it most of the time but her scent, Bella's scent, was like nothing I'd ever experienced. When I opened my eyes again she was walking towards me to fill the only empty seat in the class, the one next to me. I could hear her breath hitch as she sat down but I didn't dare break my concentrated efforts to keep calm to wonder about what that might mean.

"Hello." I greeted her as cheerfully as I could manage. From the strangely confused look on her face when she met my eye I was certain they were black as onyx. It was amazing the effect this girl was having on me and I hardly knew her.

"Hi." She smiled. Her voice was low and slightly husky; it was delightful music to my ears. It was too much. I had to hold my breath again to fight off the overwhelming temptation to jump her right there in the middle of class and drink the blood from her neck the way a hummingbird drinks nectar from an orchid.

I barely spoke two words to her for the rest of the class. She must think I am incredibly rude and possibly conceited to have behaved in such a way but I couldn't appease the war raging inside me between my human half, that wanted to befriend her and the animalistic monster that wanted nothing more than to drain her of every drop of that delicious blood that I could sense pumping through her veins. When the bell rang I bolted for the door. I skipped my last class of the day, I needed to go home and think. In my vision I saw us being friends, so there must be a way for me to overcome this bloodlust that overtakes me when I'm around her. I would just have to avoid her until I figured it out. The thought pained me more than I thought it would.

I spent the rest of the day alone, holed up in my bedroom. Esme and Carlisle expressed their concerns and urged me to talk about it but I refused.

-

I skipped school the next day too. After the others had left I ventured down stairs prepared to talk to Esme about what was going on. I told her about Biology and the effect Bella's scent had had over me. Her delicious, addictive scent. I tried in vain to describe it adequately but most likely failed. I asked had she ever experienced of heard of anything like this happening before. She told me that she could detect subtle differences and found some more pleasing than others but she had never heard of anything like this happening before.

"What do you think it is?" I asked imploringly. If I could figure out what it was that made me react like this then I stood a better chance of learning to control myself or prevent it.

"I don't know." She shrugged. I could tell she wished she knew the answer.

"And you know Edward can't read her thoughts."

"Yes, he mentioned last night." Esme said, sounding slightly amused. I can imagine he was quite irate about it. "I'm afraid we can't explain that either." She shook her head.

"What should I do?" I asked; seeking advice only a mother could give. She smiled sadly at me and shrugged.

"You're the only one who can answer that Alice."

"Well in that case I'm screwed." I pouted. "Thanks Esme." I smiled wistfully. I had no answers, but talking about it had helped at least a little bit. I returned to my room before everyone else returned. I still wasn't in the mood for talking. I thought more about Bella, about her scent, about the vision, about how Edward couldn't read her thoughts. I didn't know what any of it meant. I took out my acrylics and a blank canvas and tried painting to distract myself. I allowed the colours to absorb me and drown out my thoughts. I painted without thinking, dragging my brush across the stark white background. I used mostly blues, navy and black like the night and in contrast stark white, ivory like her skin. A battle was being fought in my brain I was completely torn. Torn between the intense desire to have this girl, to be with her and the desire to keep her safe by keeping her away from the monster I hid behind my beautiful face.

I was certain of one thing though I couldn't be around her until I had figured out what I was going to do. Those were the longest five days of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I was kind of amazed by the response to the first chapter. =] So for that reason I apologise for how long it took to get the update out but I hope everyone likes it. Please review and let me know. Oh also if you haven't already I seriously reccommend you listen to that Florence and the machine song!

Now on with the fiction! =]

* * *

I was sitting alone in my room in the early hours of Tuesday morning when Edward knocked my door. I had asked to be left alone while I tried to wrap my head around what was going on. I sighed and yelled for him to come in; unable to find the will to get up to answer the door.

"Carlisle or Esme?" I asked him as he perched himself on one of the chairs in my bedroom.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Which one of them sent you to check on me?" I chuckled. "I assume they sent you because you can tell them what I'm thinking even when I don't want to talk."

"Oh. Neither." He shook his head. "And I'm not listening. I just came to see you."

"Oh...sorry." I felt bad for accusing him.

"It's ok I would have thought the same thing. They mean well though." He smiled at me and held out his hand. "Come on."

"I _don't_ want to go downstairs." I shook my head.

"We're not going downstairs." He assured me, moving towards the window. "We're going hunting."

I looked at him strangely. The thirst I was feeling was a direct response to Bella's scent; I didn't really need to feed.

"Trust me you'll feel better after you eat. It'll settle your mind, help you focus and reign in your thoughts." He explained.

"I thought you weren't listening." I narrowed my eyes as I crossed the room to meet him.

"Not now." He smirked. I glared at him but had to smile eventually.

"Let's go." I sighed and rolled my eyes. In one swift movement we leapt out the window together and caught the closest trees. Scrambling up them we jumped from tree to tree until we reached a suitable hunting ground. My throat was dry with a thirst that ravaged me. I'd been so preoccupied by thoughts of Bella that I hadn't even realised it, until I picked up the scent of a deer nearby. In an instant I was gone. I chased it down quickly and fed. Its blood soothed the burning thirst inside me but did little to satisfy me otherwise. It was not nearly as sweet and delicious as I knew her blood would be. I chased down another before returning to Edward's side feeling marginally better. I smiled and thanked him. A hunt was just what I needed; my mind felt clearer now.

The journey home was silent; I was lost in thoughts that I didn't even bother trying to hide from Edward. I contemplated leaving. At least for a while, until the Cullen's were ready to leave Forks. I could go to Alaska and live with Tanya and the Denali coven. At least if I was there I couldn't be tempted by Bella. I didn't entertain the thought for long. I knew I wasn't strong enough to leave. I couldn't begin to imagine never seeing her again. Even if I went to Alaska I knew I'd never forget her, she would always be a permanent feature in my thoughts.

"Plus Esme would never let you go." Edward chuckled slightly. I smiled at him, mostly just to let him know I wasn't upset by his eavesdropping. He had a point. Esme was a typical mother bear when it came to her children. There was no way she'd willingly allow me to leave and be so far away from them for so long.

"She might have to...if it becomes necessary." I said gravely as we climbed back in through my bedroom window.

"It won't." His voice sounded so confident that I almost believed him. "I know you Alice. You won't let that happen. You're stubborn and your desire to be with this girl and keep her safe from harm is greater than your thirst."

I was silent for a moment as I considered this. It was true. It gave me a small drop of hope which I clung to while I considered other options.

"Thanks Eddie." I was the only member of the family who ever got away with calling him that. It was my little pet name for him, even though he hated it. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close for a second then left me alone with my thoughts.

-

By Friday evening I had reached my decision. It wasn't that difficult, the attraction I felt for her was so strong it overpowered me; convincing me I would be able to resist her scent because I had to have her in my life. I waited until Sunday to inform the others of my decision. I loitered in the doorway of Carlisle's office; I wanted to talk to him before I told the others my intentions. He heard me shifting nervously and called me inside. He greeted me from behind his desk with a warm smile.

"Alice, are you feeling...better?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm better. I wanted to talk to you though, about this thing with Bella." I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Do you think it...means something?" I chewed my lower lip as he contemplated the question.

"It's quite possible." He nodded. "It's definitely strange that you have never had a problem resisting the scent of human blood before and yet find yourself overcome by hers. I've never heard of anything like it before. I'm almost certain it means something but I'm afraid, my dear, that I don't know what that something is."

"I thought as much." I tried to smile. Carlisle was important to me. His opinion held a lot of influence over my choices, more so than any of the rest of my family. He was the kindest and most compassionate man I'd ever met. His centuries of living had also bestowed him with some sage wisdom and a world of knowledge. I trusted him in everything and he would always be the first person I turn to when in difficulty. Esme liked to joke that I was a typical Daddy's girl.

"Does this mean you have reached a decision?" He asked tentatively. Edward had let it slip that I had considered leaving and Carlisle and Esme had been worried ever since. Esme had frequently visited my room over the past few days with new reasons she had thought of as to why I couldn't leave. I tried telling her that I had no intention of leaving but Edward informed me that she thought I was only saying that to appease her.

"Yes." I nodded. He looked anxious find out what it was. "I'm staying." I nodded, his face brightened with glee.

"That's great news." His honey eyes sparkled.

"Is it?" I frowned. "I think it might be a little selfish of me."

"Why do you say that?" He asked, watching me intently as I answered.

"I'm putting the whole family at risk." I shrugged. "I should leave and put as much distance between me and the temptation as possible but I can't. I just...I want to know why I feel so drawn to her. I want to know everything about her. I want to keep her safe and see her happy. Is that crazy?" I ask, knowing the answer is yes.

"No." He smiled meaningfully. "That's how I feel about Esme. Remember darling, I have been a doctor for almost 100 years now and I can assure you that the heart is most definitely stronger than the stomach."

He left to gather the rest of the family so we could talk about my decision. I stared out the door after him for a minute, his words resonating in my mind. The heart is stronger than the stomach. The sentiment burned into my brain and gave me hope; although I couldn't help but wonder was the heart really wiser than the brain.

-

Everyone else was in the living room when I crept in through the door. I felt like I was attending an intervention. Maybe that's what I needed; Lord knows I was making some seriously bad choices recently.

"Alice will be staying with us indefinitely." Carlisle said proudly. Esme looked thrilled and opened her arms to hug me. Edward, Jasper and Emmet also looked pleased. I couldn't say the same thing about Rosalie though, she looked shocked and angry.

"That's great!" Edward smiled. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Am I the only one here who sees how fucking crazy this is?" She demanded slamming her hand down on the coffee table. Though I had anticipated them her words still hurt me.

"Enough!" Esme's commanding voice sounded and she glared at Rosalie. "Violence and profanity will not be tolerated. You will be supportive of your sister." She warned.

"And when she loses control and kills the girl, exposing us all, should I still be supportive then? When they're hunting us down? Or has everyone conveniently forgotten that Alice's new plaything also happens to be the chef of police's daughter?"

"Rosalie." Carlisle's voice was calm but stern enough to shut the blonde up. He gave Jasper a look that suggested he use his gift to placate her. The whole time I sat there shell shocked. She hadn't said anything I hadn't already considered but hearing her profess her doubt in my self control was enough to knock the small amount of confidence out of me.

"None of us are more aware of what's at stake here than Alice." He assured her. "This isn't a conclusion she has come to easily and she needs our support not our deprecating remarks. I have every faith in her. I know she will be able to control herself; so I suggest you show a little more faith too."

"Fine." She huffed and stormed out of the room. No one made any attempt to stop her but Emmet got up to follow her.

"I'm with you on this one." He winked at me as he hurried of to comfort his mate. I wasn't upset about Rosalie's reaction. I knew she would come around she just enjoyed the dramatics. I imagine I had monopolised far too much of everyone's attention that week. Edward chuckled across the room, obviously finding my thoughts funny. I shook my head at him and Carlisle and Esme rolled their eyes.

"I'm so glad you decided to stay." She smiled at me once more before retiring to her bedroom for the evening. Carlisle followed her out.

"Ignore Rosalie. I think a little reminder of the fact that if it wasn't for you she wouldn't have that shiny red Porsche in the driveway might persuade her to see sense. We _are_ all here for you." He assured me.

"Remember what I said in the study." He added and we exchanged a knowing smile before he too left the room.

"What did he say in the study?" Jasper wondered.

"He said if Jasper can do it any old idiot can." I teased him. I hadn't felt this good in days; I was almost back to my normal self.

"I wouldn't be so mean to Jazz, Alice." Edward warned me. "He knows something you might be interested to hear."

"What's that?" I asked, intrigued. He tilted his head and looked away from me.

"I'm not telling you now!" He huffed, but a brief smile that sneaked across his lips betrayed him.

"Please." I pouted. He considered for a minute. "That's fine Edward can tell me." I smirked.

"Leave me out of this." He held his hands up.

"She was worried about you." The blonde smiled and relented.

"What?" I was confused at first. It took me a while to realise what he was talking about. "Really?"

He smiled and nodded. I grinned back at him uncontrollably. The mere thought that she had even noticed my absence thrilled me.

"And..." He added, drawing out the word as he headed towards the door. "She missed you."

He raised his eyebrow suggestively and disappeared out the door.

"What? Wait...Jazz!" I called after him but he didn't return. I growled in frustration and Edward chuckled beside me.

"She missed me?" I asked, trying not to sound too pleased. He nodded, his face remaining expressionless.

"She was asking a lot of questions about you, she was quite concerned when you were absent." He added. "I can't hear her thoughts but I can listen to everyone around her...and Jazz can sense her moods, we might have done a little bit of investigation on your behalf. She's really irritated by that Newton kid and he doesn't understand why she's so curious about you." He chuckled and looked in my eyes to see if I was mad. I laughed too. Then I looked into his eyes and the mood shifted.

"Do you think I can do it Edward?" I asked solemnly. He looked at me appraisingly for a moment.

"Of course you can do it." He nodded. "You're one of the strongest people I know. You just have to trust yourself."

"I don't know." I shrugged. I wanted to believe him but I just wasn't convinced. A slow grin crept over his face and he turned to face me.

"I have an idea." I stared at him quizzically. "Let's test your resistance."

"How?"

"You'll see." He smiled and jumped to his feet and pulled me to mine. "Come on."

I rolled my eyes at his unnecessary secrecy and followed him. We moved silently and faster than any human can see, Edward leading the way to some unknown destination. Soon we were standing outside a small house on a small lane. A police cruiser and a familiar red truck were parked in the driveway. Even from outside I could detect her scent in the air. Bella. I wondered how he knew where she lived.

"I told you we did some investigating." He smirked.

"Did you charm the receptionist in the school office or just sneak in?" I enquired with a giggle.

"I would never break in and search through school property for someone's private information." He pretended to be offended.

"Oh no you're right, it's much better to use your superhuman gifts to get the unwitting receptionist to give you the information." I mocked.

"I'm glad you agree." He gave me a curt nod. "How do you feel?"

"Scared?" I shrugged. "Nervous mostly. A little apprehensive and I don't know...excited."

Every inch of me tingled as I looked up at her window. I could sense she was in a deep, restful sleep; I could hear the slow steady beat of her heart, it was like music. I looked at Edward and he nodded. I jumped up gracefully and carefully perched myself on the window sill. I looked back at Edward and he shook his head. I knew what he meant. He couldn't come with me, just be there for me. I took a deep breath and opened the window. My feet made no noise as they hit the carpeted floor of her bedroom. I gazed upon her for the first time in almost a week. She was as beautiful as I remembered, more beautiful than she appeared in my visions. That brunette hair was strewn all over her face and she was snoring softly. Her scent was the same overpowering, mouth wateringly delicious scent that I remembered. It excited every one of my heightened senses. My mouth went dry but I didn't feel the urge to feed that I had feared. I released a silent, exhilarated giggle. Feeling as though a weight had been lifted from me I watched her for a few minutes. The rise and fall of her chest with her shallow breaths, watching her sleep intrigued me. I must have stood staring for too long because I heard Edward cough pointedly outside the window. He must be worried. I moved toward the window and smiled at him. His shoulders relaxed and he smiled back. Just as I was about to jump out the window I took one last look over my shoulder at her. I could have sworn she was waking up, so I quickly shut the window and we ran off into the night.

"Well?" He asked when we got home. He was being polite and not intruding on the very private thoughts I was having.

"This is going to be difficult." I admitted but smiled from ear to ear. "But I can do it."

I couldn't wait for school the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

Monday morning took forever to arrive. It felt like entire months passed between Friday night and Monday morning. Not long after the sun rose over the trees and into the constantly cloudy sky I began pacing the kitchen. I skipped to and fro, completely incapable of sitting still. I felt so excited; so alive. Armed with the knowledge that I had at least the self restraint to be in the same room as Bella I simply couldn't wait to get to school. I couldn't wait to see her again, my Bella, my visions didn't do her justice. They paled in comparison to the real thing now that I had experienced it.

"It's nice to see you back to your old self." Esme remarked with an amused smile as a danced around the kitchen waiting for my siblings.

"God I don't know how you stand it." Rosalie addressed Jasper with a wrinkled nose when they appeared in the doorway. "I don't have your gift but even I can tell how she's feeling. It's nauseating."

I rolled my eyes at my adoptive sister and didn't let her comments dampen my spirits.

"I think it's sweet." Esme smiled at me. Under any other circumstances I might have found it patronising but not this morning; I was too happy to care.

"It's a little nauseating." Jasper muttered. He was probably referring to the underlying nervousness I was experiencing. Rosalie smiled smugly.

"Speaking as someone who remembers what you and Emmet were like when you first got together I can safely say that you are both as bad as each other." Edward quipped and it wiped the smile off her face.

"So Ali cat..." Emmet jumped up onto the counter and slid over to where I was standing. "How do you feel about today? The big day!" He said dramatically.

"Fine."

"You know if you need any advice on how to ask her out, I'm here." He patted his chest in a macho display. I laughed.

"Please! As if I'm going to take advice from Rosalie's whipping boy." I scoffed. His face fell and he pouted as the rest of the family, including Rose, laughed.

"That is so not true!" He argued defensively.

"It's a little true." Jasper and Edward said at almost the same time.

"Children, play nice." Esme called in a warning voice. Sometimes it was funny how much like a real family we actually are.

"We should get going." Edward suggested. "If we don't leave soon Alice might explode or Rose might throw up." He chuckled and grabbed his car keys. We all jumped into his shiny, silver Volvo and headed towards school. My mind raced as we got closer to school. Would she already be there? Should I approach her or wait until Biology to talk to her? My eyes clouded over and I saw her bumping into me in the hallway at the end of fourth period before lunch. It put my mind at ease slightly. At least I knew when I would see her again. I caught Edward's eye in the wing mirror and he gave me an encouraging smile.

-

The bell hardly had time to chime at the end of fourth period before I was out of the classroom. I hurried as fast as should be humanly possible to the corridor I had seen in my vision. I tried to look as casual as possible as I loitered among the throngs of students rushing towards the cafeteria. Her scent hit me first, filling my senses minutes before her body collided into mine. I turned quickly and caught her by the wrists.

"Hi." I greeted her brightly, stopping her from falling. She looked up at me with those brown eyes somewhat confused by my enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry." She muttered. "I'm not exactly the most graceful person in the world."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled, her voice was like music to my ears; it was almost as addictive as her scent. "I actually owe you an apology."

Her brows knit together in confusion. "You do?"

"I'm afraid I was quite rude to you the last time we met. I am truly sorry. I wasn't feeling very well but I'm certain I came across as being a little conceited and unfriendly."

"No...It...It's fine." She shook her head. I began to lead the way towards the cafeteria, her arms still in my grip.

"No it really isn't." I shook my head and sighed. "I hope you can understand and forgive me."

"Of course." She said breathily.

"Please, tell me you will sit with me at lunch so I can redeem myself and properly get to know my lab partner." I asked, hopefully. She considered it for a moment. I saw her eyes dart towards the table where Mike Newton and his friends were sitting and then back to me. I prepared myself for disappointment.

"Sure." She shrugged. I grinned uncontrollably. No doubt I would enrage Rosalie, and possibly Mike Newton, by doing this but I just couldn't bring myself to care.

"Great!" We got food and took a seat at an empty table near the rest of my family. I could hear the low growl escape Rose's throat as we did so; it entertained me incredibly.

"You were gone." Bella spat, looking like she hadn't meant to voice her thought. I guess Jasper was right; she did miss me.

"You noticed." I smiled and caused her to blush. "Like I said I was ill. But I'm feeling much better now. By the way you look incredibly cute when you're blushing."

She bit her lips together as the pink in her cheeks turned to scarlet and she mumbled thanks. I have to admit I was amused at the affect I was having on her.

"Umm...Alice." She said in a voice almost a whisper that sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to hear her say my name over and over again. Shaking myself I snapped back to reality.

"Yes." I replied abruptly.

"Everyone is kind of staring at us." She said looking around nervously. I looked around to find that she was right, most eyes in the place were directed at our table; Mike Newton was glaring. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm afraid that's probably my fault. My family don't really socialise much so, me sitting with you probably has them all wondering." I explained. Rosalie was definitely going to kill me now.

"Why would you want to sit with me?" She asked seeming genuinely curious.

"Why wouldn't I want to sit with you?" I countered with an amused laugh. "You intrigue me Bella."

"I don't see how." She half laughed.

"Trust me, you do." I assured her. She looked deeply into my eyes but didn't respond. I decided to change the conversation.

"So Bella, how do you like Forks?" I asked. It seemed like something a lab partner would ask; a much better approach to the conversation than I've seen the future and you're going to be my mate.

"It's good." She shrugged not even trying to sound convincing. "It rains a lot."

"You don't like the rain?" I cocked my head to the side and watched the expression on her face as she answered.

"Don't let my skin fool you." She laughed. "I'm an Arizona girl at heart."

Her face fell slightly at the end; someone who wasn't watching so keenly might have missed it.

"Then why did you move here?" I asked, truly interested in whatever twist of fate had brought this heavenly being into my life. She looked at me curiously and smiled. It seemed no one had yet thought to ask her that question.

"My Mom got remarried and her new husband travels a lot. She says she doesn't mind staying home with me but I can tell it hurts her to be apart from him for so long." She sighed. "So I decided to move here to live with my Dad and graduate from good old Forks High School."

"So you're sacrificing your own happiness for your mother's. That's a very selfless thing to do for someone your age."

"My age?" She looked at me strangely. I kicked myself for slipping up but thankfully she didn't make a big deal out of it. "It's not really selfless. I mean this way I get to spend more time with Charlie...my dad. It's not so bad here, really." She smiled at me.

"Not anymore." I muttered. She smiled. My eyes clouded and my senses were taken over.

_Bella's deep brown eyes gazing into mine. She reaches forward and takes my hand, the contact is like electricity, I love the warmth when she touches me. She leans forward slightly until her lips are mere inches from my own. _

"_It's ok." She assures me. "I trust you." _

_One or both of us close the gap and her lips feel like silk upon my own. _

"Alice...Alice, are you ok?" She's looking at me with a worried expression. I'm not sure how long the vision lasted but it had consumed me. I yearned for it to become reality.

"I'm fine." I smiled cheerfully, hoping it would relax her.

"Are you sure? You sort of just spaced out." She was really worried. It was sweet, but potentially problematic if she kept asking questions.

"You shouldn't worry so much Bella." I said flippantly, before I could stop myself I reached across to touch her hand, to comfort her. She jumped at the icy cold of my hand. I gasped and quickly withdrew my hand sorrowfully. She quickly reached across and pulled it back, much to my surprise.

"You're hands are freezing." She said as she took them in her own and tried to warm them. The sensation felt nice. I could feel myself melting away under her touch.

"Poor circulation." I chuckled. "I don't even notice."

She continued to hold my hands in her own. I could hear Rose gag at the other table but I couldn't bring myself to care. I sighed heavily because the bell was about to ring and that meant we would be forced to part. At least until Biology. She looked at me and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but the bell interrupted her. My siblings stood up and waited for me to join them before they left.

"I have to go." I said sadly, reluctantly withdrawing my hands from hers.

"See you in Biology." She grinned. I nodded cheerfully and skipped over to the others. Rosalie began walking as soon as I arrived, dragging Emmet behind her. He twisted in her grip to reach back and high five me. Jasper and Edward walked on either side of me.

"You caused quite a stir young Alice." Edward joked.

"The entire school is now consumed with curiosity about you and Bella." Jasper added with a smirk.

"And that vision." Edward smirked and riased an eyebrow at me. My mouth fell open in indignation.

"Don't be angry with Edward Ali, he was just making sure everything was alright. When you had that vision Rosalie was ready to rush over and drag you away." The blonde explained. "But we calmed her down."

"Thanks guys." I threw my arms around my brothers and we moved towards our next class.

"So how do you think it went?" Emmet asked keenly. He must have walked Rosalie to class and doubled back to interrogate me.

"It went well." I shrugged. I didn't feel the need to elaborate, they were probably eavesdropping anyway.

"Damn right it did." My burly brother agreed excitedly. "So did you ask her out?"

"No!" I scoffed. "Em I can't just walk up to her in the middle of school and ask her out. we've never even had a conversation before today. I'm working on it."

"Well you better work fast." Edward warned me. "Because Esme is dying to meet her."

I laughed and rolled my eyes as we parted for different classes. I sat through History increasingly aware of how slowly time seemed to be passing. I transcribed the lecture the teacher was giving without really paying attention. I was too eager to get to my next class. When the bell rang I burst out of the classroom, speeding past the teacher who mumbled her distaste at my hurry to get out of her class. Obviously I reached the lab and was in my seat before Bella arrived. She smiled at me when she walked in, like she had half expected me to be missing again.

"Hello again." I chimed.

"Hey." Her smile made the rest of the room look dim.

"Sit down please!" The teacher called the class to order. Bella hurriedly sat down and took out her books.

"Alright now today we will be examining slides showing the appearance of the cell during the different stages of division. You will work in groups of two. I want you to identify and order the 5 stages of division. Take your time, this is a difficult experiment so don't worry if it takes you a while and please, be careful with the microscopes." He implored the student body. "Begin."

Bella flicked the power switch on the side of the microscope on while the rest of her peers were still trying to locate it. I carefully picked the delicate glass slide out of the box and passed it to her.

"After you." I said sweetly. I've already done this experiment countless times at different high schools across the country. I watched as she positioned the slide and adjusted the focus of the lens. She bit her lip thoughtfully as she did so.

"Anaphase." She said with great certainty, lifting her head from the microscope to meet my eye.

"Mind if I take a look?" I asked cheekily. She raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"What? You don't trust me?" She scoffed.

"I just...would like to see for myself." I smiled and peeked down the lens. She was right.

"Alright then Einstein, try the second one." I challenged switching the slides. She smirked and glanced at the image.

"Metaphase." She says after barely a minute.

"You sound vey certain." I teased.

"I am very certain." She replied. I checked though I knew she was right. She was grinning smugly when I looked back at her.

"Alright you're 2 for 2. Care to make it interesting?" I raised my eyebrow and pursed my lips.

"How interesting?" She was intrigued.

"A movie in Port Angeles says you don't get the next one right."

She considered it for a moment, casting a few nervous glances in my direction. I feared I had over stepped the mark and misinterpreted friendly teasing as flirting but then she smiled.

"If I get it right I get to pick the movie and you have to pay. If I'm wrong you can choose and it will be my treat."

"You're on!" I grinned. She might win the bet but I still get a date out of it. I passed her the third slide which she confidently indentified as interphase after merely seconds. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You can check it if you like." She smirked, tuning the eye piece in my direction.

"I believe you." I said honestly because I knew she was right. "You win."

She grinned with satisfaction, a little too much satisfaction perhaps. That's when I realised.

"You've done this before haven't you?" I asked.

"I was in AP Biology in Phoenix." She admitted, blushing slightly.

"I've been hustled." I gasped, giggling playfully.

"Does this mean you want out of the bet?" She asked in a small, sad voice.

"No." I shrugged. "It just means I'll be selecting the movie."

"I guess I can't argue." She smiled and her brown eyes danced.

I identified the last two slides; I wanted to prove that I could pull my own weight in this lab partnership. We had finished long before anyone else much to the displeasure of our teacher who failed to praise us and merely told us to keep it down.

"So tell me more about your family." Bella asked.

"My family?" I hesitated. Now obviously wasn't the time to say, well we're a coven of vampires but don't worry we're vegetarian, we don't eat humans.

"Yeah, I told you about my mom and Charlie, I feel bad I didn't ask at lunch." She encouraged.

"Well I'm sure you already know I'm adopted." She nodded silently. "My adoptive father, Carlisle is a doctor at the local hospital. He's a great! He and his wife, Esme, adopted me a few years ago. They're really wonderful people." I smiled.

"What about your brothers and sisters?" She asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Edward has been with them the longest. He was sick and Carlisle was treating him when his mother passed away. Esme was heartbroken for him and they adopted him. Then they found Rosalie and decided to give her a home too. Not long after that Emmet joined the family. They had been together for a while when I met them. Then last year we found Jasper in need of a home and they took him in too. They really are wonderful people; there aren't many young couples who are willing to adopt a group of teenagers."

"No. I can't imagine there are." She agreed. "Do you all get along?"

"Most of the time." I smirked. If only she knew the split she was causing in the ranks. "Rosalie is a bit tough to take sometimes but she has Emmet and he makes her happy. I'm closer to my brothers. Edward and Jasper and I are of similar minds I guess."

"There are so many of you." She shook her head as though she couldn't imagine what it would be like. "Does it ever drive you crazy?"

"Sometimes." I admitted. "Sometimes it feels like I have no privacy, not even in my own head." I smirked at the very private joke. "But honestly I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Must be nice." She muttered, perhaps a little forlornly. We were about to be interrupted again. I willed the time to pass just a little more slowly, I wanted more time to continue our conversation; but it was pointless, time and tide wait for no man...or woman apparently. The shrill ringing cut over her beautiful voice.

"I guess we'll have to continue this another time." I sighed.

"Not so fast." Her voice stopped me in my tracks. "I believe you have a bet to honour."

I couldn't control the grin spreading across my face. "Oh yes."

She scribbled something down on a scrap of paper and handed it to me.

"You can pick me up here on Saturday, say 7?" She pouted; I wanted so much to kiss her there and then in the middle of biology. But my strength to resist had been weakened by being so close to her all afternoon; I feared kissing her wouldn't be enough, so I nodded.

"See you tomorrow." She called as she exited the room.

"Tomorrow." I whispered as I followed her scent out of the room.

"Alice Cullen, you stud." Jasper was waiting at the door for me. He chuckled.

"That sounds like something Emmet would say." I shook my head and walked with him. "How long have you been standing there anyway?"

"Long enough." He grinned. "So you have a date on Saturday?"

"I'm not sure it's a date, but yes, I have plans with Bella on Saturday night." I tried not to sound as excited as I felt.

"That's great." He beamed. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So are you smiling because you're happy for me or because you found out before Edward?" I questioned him.

"Can't I be smiling about both?" I shrugged innocently and I had to laugh.

"I am too happy to care." I smiled and walked away.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little uneventful but I thought the little bits of interaction between them were nice, plus this is needed to get to the action you know! Anyway review and let me know what you think! =]


End file.
